Digital music devices have tong been used to play digital music from a digital music source to a speaker. For example, a CD player can read music encoded in digital format on a CD and then play that music on the speaker connected to the CD player. In the 1980's, the MIDI standard was developed, which allows a digital instrument to send digital event data to a synthesizer, which then produces sounds that correspond to the digital event data. US20070276978 to Wang, for example, teaches a receiver that is connected to a computer using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, allowing the computer to send MIDI event data to the digital music receiver which either stores the event data in a storage unit or produces sounds via an audio device. Wang's digital music controller, however, will only map the computer's signal to a single audio output device. Wang and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply. Unless the context dictates the contrary, all ranges set forth herein should be interpreted as being inclusive of their endpoints, and open-ended ranges should be interpreted to include commercially practical values. Similarly, all lists of values should be considered as inclusive of intermediate values unless the context indicates the contrary.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,666 to Shutoh, teaches an interface unit with several MIDI inputs and MIDI outputs that could be mapped to one another using a computer coupled to the interface unit. Shutoh's interface unit, however, requires a computer to be coupled to it at all times in order to transfer data from a MIDI input and a MIDI output and the computer then produces more MIDI event data to be sent to corresponding MIDI outputs.
It has yet to be appreciated that MIDI interface units could be produced that do not need a computer coupled to the interface unit to translate event data from a MIDI input to a MIDI output.
Thus, there is still a need for improved MI interface units.